Barwon Heads VIC
Australia
Overview
Located in a sleepy coastal street, the entire existing cottage façade and roof is painted deep black to achieve the desired contrast, which delineates itself from the deliberately weathered, yet refined ‘barn style’ extension.
-38.274423, 144.4884287
Exterior
Silvertop ash shiplap timber boards were used to clad the exterior of the extension. Timber was chosen to achieve a weathered coastal aesthetic using natural materials, suited to the coastal environment.
Weatherboards with paint finish were used for the existing cottage, contrasting with the more refined vertical shiplap silvertop ash with a custom stain. The weatherboards were retained for the cottage due to their heritage appropriateness.
Interior
Custom, narrow engineered floorboards with a square edge were selected as the feature gabled ceiling lining. This was chosen as a modern interpretation of the original period v-groove ceiling linings of the adjoining weatherboard cottage which was restored.
American oak timber was specified for the ceiling. The boards were stained rather than painted, to create a greater statement, whilst providing visual warmth, and tonal consistency with adjoining materiality. The fine scale of these 'floorboards' created a sense of refinement and detail, that could not have been achieved with larger panels of similar materials such as veneer or plywoods.
The hero of the Barwon Heads House, is the 6.5m high gabled ceiling within the extension, which references the double gabled roof of the existing adjoining weatherboard cottage.
The coastal material palette of the design required use of timbers both internally and externally, which share a de-saturated, weathered appearance. This tonality and texture references the weathered environment whilst provided a sense of comfort through a relaxed atmosphere.
